Dutch Bike Tours

The Green Heart is a rural area surrounded by the big cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. What saved it was its wetland and marshes: poor building ground! Instead, the bogs were used to harvest peat. This bike tour will take you to the southern part of this area.

Here you’ll find the picture book Holland of old: low-lying peat meadows with grazing cattle; vast polders under beautiful skies; lakes, streams and rivers; and pretty villages with monumental farmhouses. You will sleep in attractive historical towns, including "cheese town” Gouda.

In the far north of the Netherlands, eleven historical towns are linked by canals, setting the stage for the legendary Elfstedentocht ice-skating marathon whenever the canals freeze solid enough. This self-guided tour follows that same 200km route in warmer months, starting and finishing in Leeuwarden, the Frisian capital.

Riders pass through Bolsward, IJlst, Sneek and the Frisian Lake District, cross rolling woodland at Gaasterland near the old Zuiderzee, and visit Hindeloopen, Workum and Makkum, all known for traditional crafts and pottery. The route continues past Franeker's historic planetarium, the Wadden Sea coast at Harlingen, and the terp mounds near Hegebeintum, before finishing back in Leeuwarden via Dokkum.

Friesland has its own language and distinct culture, giving the towns real character beyond the canals, lakes and meadowland scenery along the way.

Highlights:

• Cycle the route of the famous Elfstedentocht ice-skating marathon between eleven historic canal towns
• Explore the Frisian Lake District, western Europe's largest inland lake network
• Visit Hindeloopen, Workum and Makkum, all known for traditional Frisian crafts and pottery
• See Franeker's Planetarium Eisinga, the oldest working planetarium in the Netherlands
• Ride the Wadden Sea coast at Harlingen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Optional extra day cycling on the Wadden island of Vlieland or Terschelling

Surface and terrain:
Flat Dutch landscape throughout, on canals, polders and countryside cycle paths. No hills or technical terrain mentioned. Elevation gain not stated on the page.

Suitable for:
Riders of all abilities seeking an easy, flat self-guided tour; rated Level 1 of 5 on the operator's difficulty scale. Suitable for families (child bikes and trailers available).

This self-guided tour rides from Amsterdam south-west into Belgium on high-quality bike paths, passing through the Netherlands' peaceful "Green Heart" of polders and peat meadows. After exploring Amsterdam's canal ring, riders head to the historic market town of Gouda, then on to Kinderdijk's 19 windmills and the ancient river town of Dordrecht.

The route continues past the Biesbosch wetlands to the fortified town of Willemstad, then into Zeeland's island landscape of bridges, ferries and waterways via Zierikzee and Middelburg. From Vlissingen, a ferry crossing to Zeelandic Flanders leads through quiet country lanes and remote villages, crossing the border into Belgium via Damme before finishing in Bruges, the "Pearl of Flanders" and a well-preserved medieval trading town.

The route is predominantly rural and flat, taking in several nature reserves along the way.

Highlights:

• Amsterdam's UNESCO-listed 17th-century canal ring, museums and historic centre
• Kinderdijk's 19 windmills, standing since 1740
• The historic fortified town of Willemstad and the Biesbosch wetlands nature reserve
• Zeeland's island-scape of bridges, ferries and waterways via Zierikzee and Middelburg
• Ferry crossing to Zeelandic Flanders and the idyllic village of Damme
• Finish in Bruges' medieval centre, the "Pearl of Flanders"

Surface and terrain:
Flat, high-quality bike paths throughout the Netherlands and into Belgium; predominantly rural riding with several nature reserves.

Suitable for:
Riders of most abilities seeking an easy, flat self-guided tour; rated Level 1 of 5 on the operator's difficulty scale.

Open water, flat rural land, picturesque harbor towns - „Northern Tour“ Explore the rich tradition in the flat “polder-land”, along the North seacoast and in romantic fishing villages. You will cycle across a distinctly rural, former lake and marsh land. Since the 17th Century, this area has been reclaimed from the sea, in ancient times by pumping it dry with windmills. Green polder-landscapes with quiet cycle tracks, the stretching North Sea beach and the beautiful sand dunes will alternate each other.

For many guests one of the highlights on this tour is the extremely bike friendly island Texel. Beautiful flat landscapes, small dreamlike farm villages and picturesque harbor villages along the IJsselmeer, with an ancient history, will dominate the second part of the tour.

De Holland is a 257 ft. long and 24 ft. wide cozy river cruise ship. The vessel has 34 cabins for max. 68-72 passengers. All of the rooms are well-equipped outside cabins.

On endless sandy beaches, take big breaths of sea air and let your cares fly away with the wind. In Zandvoort and Scheveningen you will stay the night almost directly by the sea. Behind the dunes you’ll discover a diverse hinterland with multicoloured bulb flower fields, lovely historical towns and all sorts of tourist attractions.

If you like art and culture, you’ll have a ball in the cities of Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague. On your bike, you’re free to stop where you want, to visit a windmill or a cheese dairy, for instance. You’ll have ample opportunity for (window) shopping and visiting museums.

Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden, Delft and Gouda are among our cyclists’ all-time favourite cities – each unique and all brimming with that typical Olde Holland character. We have decided to combine them into this one route for the ultimate cultural bike holiday. Cycling distances are relatively short allowing more time for sightseeing and museums.

Although you will stay within the Randstad conurbation you’ll discover how rural and quiet the countryside can be, where polders, windmills, bulb flower fields (in spring!), lakes and rivers take the spotlight. In short, this route stands for seven days of enjoying cultural gems and idyllic countryside.

In the far North of the Netherlands, as the ferry boat chugs away from the mainland towards the islands, the world behind you fades away and you enter into the magical realm of the Wadden. Surrounded by sea and screeching gulls, slowly everyday life is replaced by that celebrated island feeling of leaving all your worries behind and merging into nature in its purest form. But first we will show you  the happy harbour town of Harlingen on the mainland. From Harlingen you will cross the Wadden Sea (or "Dutch Shallows”) to Wadden Islands Vlieland and then Terschelling, by ferry.

The windswept islands, with the North Sea to the north and Wadden Sea to the south, boast pristine nature reserves that cry out for long walks or bike rides. Afterwards, unwind on the beach or in a friendly cafe.

The Netherlands has 12 provinces and one of them is "Noord-Holland”. It fits the nostalgic image that foreigners have of Holland. It’s a picture-postcard landscape of canals, wooden bridges, dikes and windmills. The geometrically ordered polder countryside is pleasant to the eye. It is flat and uncluttered so often you can see all the way to the horizon. Overhead, impressive cloudscapes make for interesting contrast with the order below.

The delights of this region can easily be discovered by bike: charming historical towns with busy marinas, bustling beach resorts, art and cultural history museums and traditional local architecture. On the North Sea coast, cycle through windswept, undulating dunes which not only protect the hinterland from the sea but also harbour many species of dune flora and fauna.  If you can, come in springtime when tulips, hyacinths and daffodils come into bloom and the bulb flower fields just behind the dunes are a sea of colour. We know you will have a great time exploring these truly Dutch landscapes.

A dream bike ride through Europe, from the canals of Amsterdam to the Eifeltower of Paris. These two European cities with big importance for history, world-famous buildings and museums are the start and the finish of this journey through 3 countries.

In between you will discover famous and beautiful towns like Gouda, Antwerp and Ghent as you cycle through varied landscapes. You will experience great cycling in European cycle paradise Holland with water, windmills and a perfect cyclepaths system. Medieval cities and villages in Belgium with great food, beer and chocolate. And then of course France, beautiful France with it's very wide spectrum of food and wines.